Falmouth Oyster Festival October 9

After a week of rain and cloud, Saturday dawned bright and sunny. We hopped in the car and headed south this week, down to Falmouth and its yearly Oyster Festival.

Falmouth, it seems, has a deep port and is one of the last places in the world to harvest oysters traditionally... no motors to be seen. The oysters are not so much 'farmed' as 'encouraged', then dredged from the sea bottom. So we thought we would give our 'rambling' a miss this weekend, and get stuck into some yummy oysters, enjoying a bit of a carnival.

It was quite a long drive, and we parked in a 'park and bus' car park just out of town. Soon we were winding down the narrow streets of this old port in a double decker bus, high up and able to peer in the windows above the shops if they didn't have curtains. The streets were full of pedestrians - and a few mad motorists that eschewed the car park.

We decided to go on a little walk first, to build up our appetite. Falmouth has a castle, so we thought we might check it out. Unfortunately it was a bit further away than we liked, so we didn't actually go inside it. All we could see was a cannon, and the remains of an old moat, and the outer walls. You had to pay to get further in, and we didn't have time. So this photo, courtesy of Google Images, shows what we did not see! (For some reason we left our camera at home. Not very organised this weekend!)

Back we went,to the marquee where all the action was. There were stalls with lots of local produce, some of which they allowed us to taste ( a bit of cheese, some apple cider...). Mostly they had things for sale. There was a large area with a little stage in the middle for bands, and a big stage at the front for cooking demonstrations and competitions. Something was being televised, and it was very loud.

Wayne and I procured a plate of large fresh oysters and a glass of real champagne. The tables were all full, so we had to go outside and sit on the kerb. It was delicious. It was interesting seeing all the people, too. Can you believe, some people brought their dogs. I fully expected one of the large ones to wolf down a pasty or two as it was taken into the tents. The children went off and bought gourmet pasties... Annie had a kangaroo one! I settled on a venison one after my four oysters. Very nice.

Well, the oysters weren't free, but they were good. We listened to a bit of music and had a wander down the wharf. We couldn't stay to watch the oyster shucking competition because we had to take Eleanor back to a birthday party. Next time we won't try to fit too much in one day! But the year is slipping past, and a sunny weekend is to be treasured.